Senator Reverend Warnock took to the Senate floor to offer a bipartisan amendment to protect hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs across the country

Senator Warnock was instrumental in passing these clean energy tax credits, which are responsible for 42,000 good-paying jobs in Georgia

In his effort to save these Georgia jobs, Senator Warnock penned an op-ed in the AJC, held a press conference in Savannah, and published a report on the risks posed to Georgia should the tax credits be repealed

 Senator Reverend Warnock: “Those 42,000 Georgia jobs and hundreds of thousands of jobs nationwide are at risk if Republicans have their way and roll back these tax credits”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) took to the floor of the United States Senate to urge his GOP colleagues to pass a bipartisan amendment to protect hundreds of thousands of jobs in communities across the country. Senate Republicans voted down his motion by a vote of 48-51.

As currently written, the GOP spending bill would eliminate many of the clean energy tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that have brought a manufacturing boom to communities across the U.S.

“Mr. President, I rise to protect pro-business tax credits that are creating hundreds of thousands of American jobs, many of which don’t require a college degree…” said Senator Warnock. “42,000 Georgia jobs and hundreds of thousands of jobs nationwide are at risk if Republicans have their way and roll back these tax credits.”

Senator Warnock has warned his colleagues repeatedly of the risks that repealing clean energy tax credits will have on Americans across the country. In May, Senator Warnock published a report highlighting the impact that the cuts would have on Georgia and its economy. The Senator followed his report with a press conference in Savannah at the Georgia Ports Authority warning of the impact on rural communities and an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia is the single largest recipient of IRA tax credits in the U.S., with over $28 billion in investment, 42,000 jobs, and 51 projects announced in the state.

The Warnock Amendment would force the Senate to reconsider its current path toward repealing the clean energy tax credits in the GOP spending bill by returning the bill to the Senate Finance Committee for additional consideration.

In recent days, a bipartisan push urging GOP senators to reverse their proposed cuts has swept the country. Last week, Georgia lawmakers sent a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) asking him to reconsider his support for the rollback of solar energy tax credits, writing: “We urge you not to weaken the tax credits, as doing so would only harm the manufacturing renaissance in Georgia while creating opportunities for Chinese companies to take over the solar industry.”

Nationwide analyses show that the “vast majority” of projects announced following the passage of the clean energy tax credits have been investments in Congressional districts currently held by Republicans. This is particularly true in Georgia where 83 percent of the projects, 94 percent of the total investment, and 75 percent of the jobs are in Republican districts. More than 95 percent of the new jobs and investments are in counties where the percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree is below the national average. 

Full remarks available below:

Mr. President. I rise to protect pro-business, pro-worker tax credits that are creating hundreds of thousands of American clean energy manufacturing jobs, many of which don’t require a college degree.

Put simply, these tax credits are working: I know firsthand because they’re working right now in Georgia.

Businesses which we’ve invested $1 [federally], we’ve seen [private] investments as much as $4.50.

They’ve helped create 42,000 new manufacturing and construction jobs, many in rural parts of our state that are too often left behind by Washington politicians. Those 42,000 Georgia jobs and hundreds of thousands of jobs nationwide are at risk if Republicans have their way and roll back these tax credits.

That’s why North America’s Building Trades Unions called this bill the “biggest job-killing bill in the history of this country.”

I urge my colleagues to vote with America’s workers and vote YES on my Motion to Commit.

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